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Retton Corrax
Retton Corrax (also known as Magister Raveneye or the Informer) was a troll who lived in the time of the Signless Movement who serves as a triple agent, acting as Imperial Spymaster for Her Imperious Condescension, double agent for the Order of the Highbloods, and a secret leader in the Signless Movement (the latter being his only true allegiance). Using his vast information network, he aided the Signless' revolutionary group before and after the Signless' demise, helping to orchestrate many of the plans set in motion to support the prophesized successor. Having died many sweeps before the events of Or8weaver, he managed to transfer his consciousness into that of his descendant Treise Corrax, acting as one of his alter egos. Biography Early Sweeps & Becoming Imperial Spymaster (31 BS - 8 AS: 0-39 Sweeps) Retton was born and raised under typical conditions given his place on the hemospectrum. Like his descendant, Retton's lusus was an aloof sharkraven. Retton spent much of his early life detached from other trolls, preferring not to involve himself directly. During his formative years, the events of the Limeblood Genocide still remained a hotly discussed topic, and while Retton remained largely silent, he observed many of those that objected to the Empire's actions, both with passion and reason, disappear. This convinced Retton at an early age that many opinions, even well founded ones, were dangerous to speak aloud on Alternia. As he grew up, his acumen for information gathering and manipulating grew, as did his disdain for the established social structure. Having become convinced of the lack of sustainability of Alternian culture, Retton resolved to destroy and rebuild it from the inside. Through his notable skill and diligence in collecting information, Retton quickly rose up the ranks, eventually getting the attention of Her Imperious Condescension. Proving himself to be the right troll for the job by bribing, blackmailing, and outsmarting his competitors, he was eventually named Spymaster and Magistrict Officorium in 18 BS, tasked with collecting information on the Condesce's subjects and rivals, and revealing or covertly crushing her opposition. It was at this time that he was given the title of Magister Raveneye, which he earned for having the skill of seeing the imminent demise and doom of others (usually by incurring or accelerating it himself). Retton immediately took to his new position. Due to his skill and blood colour, he personally established ties with highblood officials, including the inner circle of the Grand Highblood (known commonly through the Cult of the Mirthful Messiahs). Using his connections, Retton fueled conflict between the seadweller and landweller elite under the guise of being a double agent for both sides, thus making himself indispensable in their schemes against each other. His efforts caused both sides to spend more time and resources against each other, weakening their grip on the hierarchy. This would pave the way for slack in their grip over the lower castes. The Signless's Revolt (8 AS - 12 AS: 39-43 Sweeps) Retton became aware of the rapid growth of the "Signless" well before his superiors, having kept eyes across all levels of troll society (while the highbloods and seadwellers preoccupied themselves with each other). The Signless' preaching interested Retton, both due to their content that supported his suspicions about troll culture as well as its impact on the lower castes. As his preachings grew more popular, Retton saw an opportunity to push for the overthrowing of the hemospectrum hierarchy. Retton secretly attended one of the Signless' sermons. While impressed with his ability, Retton judged that due to his pacifist attitude the Signless himself would not be capable of overthrowing the hierarchy as he hoped. While the Signless would inspire and charge the masses, he would hold them back when faced with instigating the revolution, and the highbloods would not hesitate to attempt to purge him. Nonetheless, Retton decided that he would do what he could to keep the Signless' words heard and spread as long as possible. Following the speech, Retton approached one of the Signless, a jadeblood named Porrim. Retton was immediately impressed by the woman, and explained his position to her. Following a brief conversation, he left her with a large sum of untraceable funds and a means to receive aid from his agents. Finally, he promised her that he would be the one to betray them, "13ut Not Until All 1s Already Lost" . With the support of his followers and Retton's agents, the Signless made a great deal of progress in a short span of time. However, pressure from the nobles from both land and sea factions grew in fury of this success. Eventually, it became clear that someone would soon catch the revolters. Retton once again located the group, but this time to warn them that the end was approaching. Despite his attempts to convince Porrim to escape from the fate her son would have to face, she made it clear that she would face the consequences. Instead, Retton promised to aid and protect the other followers and carry on the Signless' message. Ending the Revolt & Post-Revolt Fallout (12 AS - 108 AS: 43 - 139 Sweeps) True to his word, Retton personally provided the information needed for the Signless' capture. Following the execution, Retton rapidly spread the word, proclaiming him to be a martyr for his cause. Soon after, he performed the orders given to him to silence any mention of the Signless, now known as the Sufferer. Retton silenced the revolt, but by moving it underground rather than purging it. With his massive network, Retton concealed the Sufferer's movement in the form of small groups, tied to each other only loosely to avoid complete discovery. All the while, he provided secret sanctuary for the high profile members of the revolution that had escaped, and even published the Disciple's writings clandestinely. Retton's efforts eventually formed a large and powerful revolutionary force that would return to relevance on a few occasions. This force would come to be called the Sufferer's Legacy, though it would only come to true fruition with the release of the Disciple's final tome about the Sufferer's teachings under mysterious circumstances in 43 AS. Still determined to rescue Porrim, Retton turned to Marquise Spinneret Mindfang , known adversary and kismesis of Orphaner Dualscar, the seadweller who had purchased her. Using the offer of additional information to give her an advantage against her opponents, Retton struck a deal for her to capture the ship upon which Porrim was being held, so that he may in turn retrieve her. While Mindfang was successful in capturing the ship and the troll, her acts of affection towards her captive led to Dualscar to assassinate her. Retton was enraged by the Marquise's failure, and provided the additional push necessary to send out Neophyte Redglare to capture her. While this ultimately failed, Retton regained his temper, and lost interest in pursuing the gambligant. Instead, he redoubled his efforts, rapidly building up the revolutionary force in preparation for the next attempt at revolution. Reconnecting with Porrim and the Summoner's Rebellion (108 AS - 200 AS: 139-231 Sweep) Retton didn't have to wait long for the second revolutionary to arise. Though his significance was not initially evident, he had taken note of the Summoner, a lowblood who had made exceptional advances in the military order in a very short period. The exceptional rate of the Summoner's growth in popularity and rebellion meant that Retton had little time to react. Fortunately, his establishment was largely established in the sweeps prior. This was aided by help from a surprising source. By the time he was contacted by Umiera Helios, Retton had largely gotten past his dealings with Porrim and Aranea. While he was aware of Mindfang's demise at the hands of the Summoner, the mystery of what became of her was of little interest to him. Other reports of supposed rainbow drinkers and skirmishes with monsters were relatively common and often times bore too little information to be considered reliable. As such, there was little evidence to indicate that the Dolorosa was a drinker, let alone one who was in some way involved in several of the events. With this in mind, Umiera approached Retton as an anonymous informer. Her insight into his network and details he had kept intensely secretive quickly caught his attention. Through their conversations, she provided information beyond even Retton's sphere of knowledge, and gradually revealed more details about her identity. While initially skeptical, Umiera provided Retton with enough proof to eventually convince him, culminating in him personally reuniting with the woman he thought was long dead, along with her three fledglings and three children. The discovery was shocking, but in it Retton saw the opportunity they presented: the rainbow drinkers were a force not even the Condesce would be prepared for. While reluctant to put the family in harm's way, he found himself fortunate that they were more than capable of taking the initiative themselves, integrating seamlessly into his revolutionary network due to the recommendations Umiera gave him. Milata's skills as a caretaker and teacher allowed her to take charge of the wing responsible for recruiting and educating trolls about the Sufferer's teachings. Josani (accompanied by Perses) comfortably took charge of the gambligant fleets the Marquise had left behind after her supposed demise alongside those the rebellion had brought over. Umiera, meanwhile, continued to work with Retton, greatly advancing his network and plans with her foresight and providing numerous technological marvels which advanced the rebellion's strength immensely. Though he was never one for emotional attachment, it could be said that Retton felt a strong affection for Umiera as a mentor and father figure of sorts. End of the Rebellion and Contingency Planning Under Umiera's advisement, Retton made use of the period of significant turmoil on Alternia to further establish the underground networks of the Sufferer's Legacy project. It was not long after Umiera's suggestion that the Empress authorised the use of the full force of the Alternian fleet against the rebels and it became clear to Retton that the revolution would soon once again be crushed. He and Umiera devised several means through which the technological marvels she had developed could be preserved, away from the prying of the highbloods, so that they may be used when "the true descendant makes his appearance". Retton kept extensive records deeply buried within his private documents, encrypted to a degree that only himself or Umiera could access them. When the time came for the final confrontations between the rebellion and the Empress' forces, Retton was prepared to alert the forces to move back into hiding to reduce casualties. He also spoke of advising Umiera and the rest of the drinker family to take refuge with him. However, Umiera shot these thoughts down, explaining that hiding would only result in massive purges to root them out, and would put Retton's own competence or loyalties into question, in which case he would no longer be in a position to "continue doing what needs to be done". Retton did not like the idea of sacrificing such a sizeable portion of the population, let alone the drinkers and Umiera, but ultimately ceeded to her logic. Retton watched from the sidelines as the three daughters were killed, Perses Helios was captured, and the revolution was brought to an abrupt halt. As per Umiera's orders, Retton assisted in keeping the knowledge of the remaining drinkers concealed as the adult population of Alternia was deported. Following the end of the rebellion, Retton continued to oversee the administration of the Alternian populace, as well as the many newly colonized worlds. This task took much of his time, though every moment remaining was dedicated towards reconstructing and solidifying the groundwork for the eventual future uprising. The great migration, as well as the growing direct influence on the adult troll populace by the Empress and the Grand Highblood led to many small feuds and territorial disputes. Many of these would eventually be resolved with the Empress' campaigns to expand troll territory by conquering nearby systems. During Retton's administration, many annexations were accomplished through rapid diplomacy, limiting the bloodshed as a result of the bloodthristy leaders. However, casualties and damages to new territories as a result of these campaigns began rapidly taking a toll on the Empire. Approaching the age limit of his hemospectrum and feeling his death approaching, Retton set in motion several plans in the early stages of the fifth centennial sweep. Among these was the assassination of the bloodcrazed leader of the mirthful cult, the Grand Highblood upon his death. Knowing that in his absence the highblood would not hesitate to call out an open holy war that would tear the Empire as well as everything in its wake asunder, Retton arranged for him to be poisoned with a special blood ink he had devised for the purpose. His hope was that the Higblood's successor would be less competent, and in this regard his predictions were accurate. The next Grand Highblood campaigned for a series of holy crusades in honour of their martyred former leader's wishes, which due to poor management and excessive privateering dealt a massive blow to the military and political power of the Mirthful Church. The Church's religious authority was further diminished when the Empress agreed to the seadweller nobility's demands for the now vacant shore lands of the church. Though the territorial disputes would eventually be resolved, the sequence of events following the death of the Grand Highblood paved the way to it falling as the grandest order of religious and landweller authority on Alternia to becoming a popular and powerful but only moderately respected cult. Shortly after his 430th wriggling day, Retton earned the rare distinction of being one of the few trolls to die of old age due to his caste's natural life expectancy (even surpassing it by a sizeable margin). The final task laid upon him by Umiera was the use of a device she had designed specifically for him to use as he reached death. Though unbeknownst to Retton, the device tapped into his dormant abilities as the Mage of Mind (something Umiera was able to see from her prophetic visions) and allowed his mind to be converted to ethereal form to eventually reemerge as a component of the being that would most closely approach him genetically. This eventually proved to be Treise Corrax, 531 sweeps after his death. As Treise's Alter Ego Though Retton's reemergence as a facet of his descendant's mind was immediate, it would be some sweeps before he could do anything of significant use. However, as soon as he was granted the faculties necessary, he took every moment possible to reestablish his organization, using the proxies he had established to reactivate the necessary tools. Once the resources were reawakened, Retton chose to remain largely dormant, allowing Treise the time to develop and learn about the resources for himself. Retton remained reluctant once Treise began taking over his systems to interfere, doing so only to access more esoteric data caches that Treise would not yet be prepared to handle. Using his newly developed skills as a persona, Retton hid his existence from Treise's consciousness, establishing a means through which he could take over if need be without Treise's awareness, and assure that any assertion to the effect of his existence would be promptly discarded. Above all, Retton preferred to stay back and observe his descendant's pursuits, at the same time studying the new cultural and technological developments that had taken place in his absence. To these ends, Retton encouraged Treise's internal interest in topics of troll studies and history. Though Umiera had provided hints of such devices to Retton, his acquiescence of technology was a slow one, as he was incredibly careful to see to it that his actions could not be traced digitally. Eventually however, he grew to appreciate the efficiency they provided. Though he would not admit to it readily, his greatest regret was the inability to take advantage of the technological advances of the later centuries. Treise's encounter with the jadeblood named Astrea Maryam proved a jarring one, and Retton immediately placed what influence he could towards Treise's subconscious interest in the girl. When Treise was taken captive temporarily by the girl's lusus, and scanned by what he presumed to be descendants of the rainbow drinkers, Retton concealed his presence, making himself undetectable during the probing. The trolls evidently did not recognize his relation, and so Retton rapidly turned his efforts towards connecting further with them through Astrea, attempting to gather what knowledge he could on the potential whereabouts of the rainbow drinker family he had lost contact with so many sweeps prior. Around this time was also the beginning of a new rebellion, one led by what appeared to be a mutantblood by the name of Karkat Vantas. Believing this to be the sign of what would be the grand revolution that would finally depose the Condescension, Retton made contact with the group, providing what knowledge and resources he could, while tapping into their intelligence networks to supplement his own ancient connections. Fortunately, Umiera's foresight saw that many of his sources remained intact, and were in fact up to date for the new revolution. With little cause to involve himself further, he gradually placed the greater weight of these tasks onto his descendant, this time confident that the outcome would prove more favourable than the prior attempts. Powers and Abilities Prior to his death, Retton did not have any supernatural abilities. However, his natural talents and intense self discipline allowed him to hone his skills very effectively. These skills transferred along with his mind upon activating the device that would convert him into a psyche, which granted him limited supernatural abilities with regards to his descendant Treise. As a Spymaster/Polititian Retton rose the ranks at an early age to become one of Alternia's renown political administrators and a fearsome spymaster. His natural aptitude for the position and wealth of experience juggling three of the largest factions of the species led to and are due to a number of skills. Show/Hide List As a Psyche Upon activating Umiera's device, Retton was able to transfer his mind into that of his descendant, granting him some limited abilities with regards to his host. Show/Hide List Relationships Retton generally has kept to himself, avoiding social contact wherever possible in favour of accomplishing his grander objectives. However, in his lifetime, both natural and as Treise's persona, he has maintained some personal connections. Romantic Show/Hide List Family Show/Hide List Friends/Acquaintances Show/Hide List Personality Retton is stern, cold, and imposing. His sharp gaze, persistently serious demeanour, and habit of only speaking in statements are generally off-putting to many trolls, usually giving him an inscrutable air. It is for this reason (along with his ability to recognise inevitable failures) that earned him the name Raveneye. Only a few trolls have ever been able to read through his mask, notably Porrim Maryam, Umiera Helios, and Astrea Maryam. He's been shown to hold little regard for what others think about him, preferring to allow his actions to speak for him. Though he is wracked with a persistent guilt for being responsible for ending the lives of numerous revolutionary movements he helped support, he is aware of his essential role in keeping these efforts going as long as they do. Retton is at his core a pragmatist, and as such has gone through great effort to conceal or suppress his emotions accordingly. Philosophically, Retton severely distrusts the Empire's authoritarian and militaristic leanings, believing them to be inherently self-destructive and highly inefficient. He personally favours a liberal structure through which the empire distributes its resources towards supporting all of its citizens while removing many of the social restrictions.He is also a staunch but silent opponent of the Mirthful Church, believing their practices to be both outdated and regressive, though he otherwise has littler interest in faith or religion, including that of the Signless' prophecies. Retton notably does not consider himself to align with individuals, but rather with principles, and then supports or opposes those who are congruent with those ideals. He claims to feel no allegiance to those he supports, but does so only as long as they remain useful to his plans. This is mostly true, though Retton has on occasions demonstrated affection and loyalty towards others. As per his pragmatism, he prefers to work with imperfect allies than reject anyone who doesn't entirely align with his goals, as any misalignment can be adjusted with time and iteration. Quotes Quotes By Retton *1 Deal 1n Facts, Not Opinion. Arrogance Would Suggest 1 Cannot Fulfill My Claims. 1 Can. *Speaking 1s An Action. A Dangerous One. (Referring to the Signless' preaching) *The Last Thing You Should Know 1s That 1 Shall 13e The One To 13etray You, 13ut Not Until All 1s Already Lost. (To Porrim, about the Signless' movement) *1n My Life 1 Took On The Public Role Of A 13etrayer For The Purpose Of Furthering The Very Cause 1 Supposedly 13etrayed. 13ack Then 1 Was Universally Among The Most Hated And Least Trusted Trolls 1n 3xistence. Presently, 1 3xist As The Consciousness Of A Long Dead Troll And Can Only Manifest Myself Through My Descendant. There 1s Very Little 1 Would Gain 13y Preoccupying Myself With The Opinions Of Others. Quotes About Retton *I don't feel as thoUgh my jUdgement of yoU woUld offend or even affect yoU in any way. (Callie Ohpeee) Trivia *Applicable tropes include: Spymaster, Knowledge Broker, Chessmaster, Manipulative Bastard, Magnificient Bastard, Dragon with an Agenda, Treacherous Advisor, Evil Chancellor, Reasonable Authority Figure, Reverse Mole, Double Agent, Double Reverse Quadruple Agent, Strategist, Smart Guy, Nerves of Steel, Gentleman and a Scholar, Man of Wealth and Taste, Sharp-Dressed Man, Playing Both Sides, Running Both Sides, Xanatos Gambit, Batman Gambit, Long Game, Ancient Conspiracy, Crazy Prepared, Body Backup Drive, Psychic Block Defense, I Let Gwen Stacy Die, Pragmatic Villainy Category:Characters Category:Original Characters Category:Non-Canon Characters Category:Ancestors Category:Rainbow Drinker Familiars Category:Resistance Members Category:Old Empire Category:Trolls Category:Non-Trolls Category:Protagonists Category:Neutrals